A Not So Puurrrfect Situation
by CynicalNation
Summary: While wandering around his neighborhood late at night, a now 18 year old Dib makes a very strange discovery.
1. The Park

**Bruh I haven't written a fanfic in...probably...four years holy shit. I'm definitely a little rusty and apologize in advanced.**

 **So as to not drag this on for longer than it needs to be, I don't own these characters or Invader Zim….yadda yadda yadda….Tell me what you think and hopefully...enjoy this? Maybe?**

The smell of rain hung heavily in the air and water pooled in the dips and holes of the road. The night sky had been covered in a thick blanket of grey, leaving nothing but the street lamps and the distant glow of the city to light Dib's way.

It was almost two a.m. and Dib found himself walking to the park several blocks from his house. His shoes scraped against the dampened sidewalk, and the occasional raindrop would land on his face. It wasn't exactly raining anymore, only lightly sprinkling as the storm had almost completely moved on. Earlier, however, was a different story. The rain had been pounding against the rooftops for nearly six hours, and the thunder was almost deafening as the storm passed directly overhead. But now? It was calm; peaceful even.

He could hear the leaves rustling in the trees overhead as a cool breeze blew through. His cheeks and the tip of his nose were already pink from the cold, and every breath he exhaled fogged the air. His hands were tucked away into the pockets of his jacket and he stared straight ahead. He needed some time alone.

Summer had come to an end almost two months ago and Dib found himself rather alone while navigating his final year of high school. Zim hadn't shown up for the first day, let alone the first 6 weeks.

Over the last several years, things had definitely changed. Zim's incompetence had become quite apparent to Dib when he had gotten a little older. The alien could hardly take care of himself let alone manage to destroy an entire planet. But that wasn't even the half of it. Something had changed with Zim as well. Sometime last year, he had disappeared for a couple weeks. When he had returned, it was as if someone had switched off a light within him. As if he had lost some sort of purpose to himself. His motivation for destroying earth seemed to have almost disappeared. _Almost_. Of course there was always still the underlying death wish to all humans, but it was never as crucial to him as it had been when he had first arrived on this planet. Dib never really found out the entirety of what had happened during those two weeks, only that maybe it had something to do with Zim's home planet...or maybe his leaders.

Dib soon found himself entering the park. It was rather large with tall pine trees towering overhead, causing black silhouettes against the sky. The park sat on a slight slope, and several metal picnic benches were scattered across the plot of land. In the almost exact center of the park sat a playground that consisted of a swing set and several colorful slides. Finally, at the far end, there was a small brick and concrete building with a street lamp to the right of it. The building was a bathroom and wasn't very well kept.

Dib walked across the wet grass over to the picnic bench where he laid on top of it and looked up at the sky. By now, even the sprinkling of rain had stopped and there was a large break in the clouds above. Dib stared into the stars. They were as magical to him as they had always been. Ever since he was little, he had always wondered about them and if there were creatures that lived beyond his solar system. Of course now there was living proof of that only a couple blocks away from where he was now. Well...at least Dib hoped he was living. Despite being missing for about 6 weeks, Dib hadn't gone to the aliens house to check up on him. Not that the 18 year old hadn't wanted to, but more because he hadn't been able to find the time. Between classes, homework, and his new job, the only time he ever had to himself was to sleep; something he couldn't seem to be able to do tonight no matter how hard he tried.

For the first time in a while, Dib started to relax. As he closed his eyes, he thought about how it was nice to finally be away from the house. Away from the whirring of all the computers in his room, the faint murmurs through the wall of his 15 year old sister talking to one of her online friends during a late night gaming session, away from the disappointment of coming home to an empty house because his father spent way too much time worrying about work rather than his family.

The relaxation hadn't lasted long before the 18 year old heard what he thought to be footsteps coming from the right of him in the near distance. His eyes shot open and he sat up, turning his head towards the noise. Of course, all he could see was the outline of a wooden fence and few large bushes. For several long moments, Dib sat there staring, straining his eyes and listening for it again. As he was about to give up and assume it was just him being paranoid, something rustled inside one of the bushes.

Dib could feel his heart skip a beat, as he wasn't expecting something to actually be there. Was this an animal? A person watching him? Dib's tongue ran across his dry lips as he reached into his pocket for his phone, his sight never once leaving the shrubs. With his phone in his hand, he pressed the home button and the screen lit up. It being so dark out, the light from the phone was all Dib could see. He hurried and turned on the flashlight setting and shut off the screen. The bushes rustled again.

"Hello…?" Dib called out as he shone the light towards the shrubs.

Upon not receiving a reply, the teen swung his legs over the side of the picnic table and hopped down. Slowly Dib crept towards the bushes. Whatever was hiding within the leaves, Dib was going to find out what it was.

As he grew closer, he tried to look between the branches but could hardly make out what he was seeing. Whatever it was, was small and dark. Most likely an animal, obviously not timid enough to bolt from it's hiding spot as the teen drew near.

" _Okay. You can do this, "_ Dib thought to himself as he reached a hand out towards the branches, " _O_ _ne, two, ...three!"_

He pulled back part of the bush and peered inside, ready to jump back if he needed to. He didn't. What Dib saw staring back at him had surprised him. There, sitting among the mud and leaves, was a soaking wet kitten with black fur and almost creepily large brown eyes. Well, at least he thought they were brown. The way the light caught them almost made them appear red.

 **Yoooo that's the end of it. Sorry it's so short...sorta testing the waters and seeing whether or not to continue this.**


	2. Alien

**Alrighty so here is another chapter for this. Once again, it's not very long, but I do plan on making the chapters longer in the near future. Hopefully this turned out alright!**

Dib blinked and stared down at the animal. The corners of his mouth twitched up into a small smile as he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He couldn't help but feel a little stupid for thinking the worst. Out of all things he could have found hiding in that bush, a kitten had been one of the last things he would of expected. Not to mention how strange looking it was. The kitten's fur was so dark, it had reminded him of a black hole; absorbing and trapping all light that dared go near. It's eyes were twice the size they should be and seemed to only consist of one color. In all honestly, it was beginning to creep Dib out the way it stared blankly up at him.

Dib looked around for a moment before returning his attention to the kitten. There wasn't anyone else or any other cats around. This kitten was here alone and didn't appear to be wearing a collar. He knelt down in the damp grass, water soaking into the knees of his black fitted jeans.

"U-uh hey there little guy!" He said quietly as he tentatively reached out towards the strange kitten. He wasn't sure whether or not there was something wrong with this cat and if he should be cautious. He'd hate to get some sort of disease from it. Considering how suspicious it looked, he was starting to wonder if he should just leave it alone.

Before he could pull his hand back, the kitten narrowed it's eyes and angrily batted at Dib's hand with it's paw. While it's claws were small, they still hurt like a bitch. Three claws had caught the back of Dib's hand just below his thumb. The claws hadn't dug in deep, but they had done enough damage to draw blood.

Dib drew in a sharp breath as he dropped his phone and quickly pulled himself up off his knees and sat on the back of heels. The movement was enough to slide his glasses down the bridge of his nose.

"Shit!" He cursed as he pushed his glasses back into place and fumbled for his phone.

Now with a good grip on his phone, Dib shone the light into the bushes, only to find the kitten gone. His brows furrowed and his eyes darted frantically around, trying to figure out where exactly the cat had disappeared to. There was a sudden hiss to the the right of him and Dib whipped his head around to see it standing directly beside him. He stood quickly, almost losing his balance.

"Oh what the hell..." He muttered to himself as he watched the small animal circle him.

It's eyes were still narrowed, as if it were glaring up at him. Now that it was out of the bushes, Dib could see that the cat was rather slender. It didn't appear to have been eating very well for at least a few weeks now.

As Dib started to take a step backwards, the kitten arched it's back and hissed again. It's fur begun to stand and Dib's eyes widened as he noticed two antennae rise up along with it. The kitten must have had them tucked down when Dib had first approached. Curiosity flooded Dib as he stared intently at the animal. This was unlike any cat Dib had ever seen. In fact, he wasn't even sure if this _was_ a cat. Whatever it was, it had never belonged to this planet.

As the kitten finished circling Dib, it took one step towards him and Dib took one step back. The kitten paused for a moment before sitting down in front of him. Dib blinked a couple times. He wasn't completely sure, but he could have sworn he saw the cat smirk. Whether it had or not, it now sat there staring at up him. It was obviously quite pleased with itself for startling the teen.

"Don't give me that smug look!" Dib snapped, glaring at it and folding his arms across his chest. The damn thing was probably plotting something awful.

As much as Dib would have liked to just return home at this point, he didn't like the idea of leaving a possible alien just loose and wandering the streets. I mean, who knows what it's capable of? Also, there was something familiar about this cat that Dib couldn't quite put his finger on. It reminded him of something...or someone.

He bit his lip as he thought hard about what his next move should be. Leaving this creature was not a good idea, and bringing it to the house sounded like a difficult task. He wasn't even sure if it would let him get close enough to pick up. He sighed deeply as he realized that bringing it home (or at least attempting to) was his best and only option. Besides, at home he may be able to get a better look at it. That way he could try and figure out exactly what it is and where it came from.

Dib looked around for anything that might help him capture or lure it home. Towards the bushes was a bunch of scattered wet papers and crumpled food wrappers. To Dib's luck, he spotted some sort of box. It was most likely a shoe box that had blown into the park from someones tipped over trashcan due to the storm earlier. He looked back and forth between the cat and the box, unsure if the thing would bolt the moment he stepped away.

"Jus-just stay put!" he said as he quickly started towards the box.

The kitten's eyes widened in curiosity as it stood up. It took a slow cautious step towards Dib, staring at the teen as he picked up the box and swiftly turned back. The sudden realization of what the box was for came almost too late. As Dib lunged to trap the kitten, it darted to the left and dodged it. Unfortunately, it stumbled over it's own paws, giving Dib enough time to drop the box down on top if it.

"Aha!" Dib exclaimed as he held the box down and slid the lid underneath.

Now all he'd have to do is take it home and hope that it didn't somehow end up destroying the house. How much damage could something so small do anyway?

 **Aaand there we go. I haven't written a fanfic in four years and honestly...it's a little strange to be posting again! This is a new account due to me not remembering my login for my old one. Plus I'd rather not see what horrible things I ended up posting there. *shudders***


	3. Home

**Ayy it's ya boy here with a new chapter. I read this over several times, yet there still might end up being mistakes in it. It's sorta late at night so I may be a little out of it. Apologies in advanced! Also thank you for the reviews! I took the suggestion about changing the rating to T because of the swearing! Thanks for the input :)**

Dib could feel the cat clawing at the sides of the box as he turned and walked down his street. He held the box tightly in both hands to ensure it wouldn't somehow escape. It didn't help that the cardboard was soggy with rain water. Dib was certain that it wouldn't have held up for as long it did, but he wasn't complaining.

As he approached the walkway leading up to his front door, he looked up at the house. All the windows were dark except for one. His sister must still be awake. It was fairly normal for her to stay up way past midnight, even when she'd have to get up early for school the next day. Luckily for them both tomorrow was Sunday. Neither of them had school and it was Dib's day off from work.

He shifted the box to one arm and rested it against his hip as he opened the door quietly and stepped across the threshold. He closed the door behind him and walked through the pitch black living room. He flipped on a lamp that sat on an end table beside their couch. The room flooded with a dim light.

Kneeling down, he set the box on the rug. Immediately the kitten burst out of it, the lid hitting Dib directly in the face and knocking his glasses to the ground.

"Hey!" Dib hissed while grabbing his glasses up off the floor. He was trying not to raise his voice as to not disturb anyone.

Before putting them back into place, he watched a dark blur dart around the room and dive under the couch. He leaned down and peered beneath the chair. Among the dust and crumbs were two large eyes glaring at him from the dark. Dib glared back.

"Do you _have_ to make everything difficult for me?" Dib asked while he reached under the couch and felt around for the kitten. Immediately his hand was met with tiny sharp teeth sinking into his skin. His eyes widened in pain as he swiftly pulled his hand away, "I guess that's your version of yes," he said while examining the bite mark. His brows furrowed as he muttered to himself, "You better not have some sort of alien space rabies..."

Dib heard a door swing open and shut followed by the floorboards above him creaking. He stood up as his ears followed the sound to the top of the stairs. Gaz soon descended them, entering the room and glancing at her brother for a quick moment before continuing into the kitchen. She was dressed in her purple fleece pajama shorts and a loose black t-shirt. Her hair obviously hadn't been combed and the beginning of dark circles had appeared under her eyes. Her wireless headphones sat on her shoulders, resting around her neck with the microphone lowered.

Dib watched his sister as she swung the fridge open and took a slice of pepperoni pizza from a box in the fridge. She turned and stood in the archway between the two rooms, taking a bite from her pizza and observing the mud on her brother's shoes and the box in the middle of their living room.

"And where have you been?" She asked before swallowing her bite of pizza.

"Well the rain stopped so I thought I'd go out for a walk." Dib said while glancing at the couch as the kitten's head popped out from underneath.

"So you brought home a disgusting wet box?" She asked unamused. By now she was used to some of the weird stuff her older brother did in his spare time.

"Wha- No actually I found this uh..." Dib begun, not exactly sure how to explain it without sounding like an idiot, "Kitten...thats actually an alien! Or at least I think it's an alien, I mean it's really weird and has these strange antennas. I just found it sitting in the-"

Gaz cut him off, "A kitten?" She leaned forward a bit, trying to peer into the box, "Dad said no pets."

Dib frowned a bit, "Well dad's not here, and this isn't exactly a pet."

The kitten slid all the way out from under the couch and peered around the corner at Gaz. Dib took this opportunity to reach down and scoop him up while he was distracted. The kitten's ears went flat against his head as he squirmed around for a moment before angrily latching all it's claws into Dib's hand and biting at his fingers.

"He'll be home Tuesday and he's gonna be pissed." Gaz spoke, glaring and watching the kitten furiously attack her brother's hand.

A green light lit up on her headphones and a quiet muffled voice could be heard coming from it. She took another bite from her pizza before lifting the headset over her ears, "I'll be there in a moment," she said into the microphone while walking towards the stairs, taking one more glance at the kitten before looking away.

"Well...not if he doesn't find out about it!" Dib called up the stairs as his sister turned the corner.

"But he will, Dumbass!" Dib heard her yell faintly before her door slammed shut.

Dib glared up the stairs, sarcastically mocking her under his breath before lifting the kitten up to face level and lightly shaking him, "Stop that!"

His claws immediately retracted and he slowly let go of Dib's fingers with his teeth. The kitten was giving Dib a 'deer in the headlights' kind of look. Dib's face softened a bit as he lowered the kitten from his face, still keeping a tight grip on it. Now that the kitten was starting to dry, it was very apparent how much mud was actually caked into it's fur.

"Man, you're filthy. I should probably wash that mud off you before letting you loose in the house," Dib mumbled to the kitten as he slid the shoes off his feet and headed up the stairs.

The hallway was mostly dark except for the glow coming from under his sister's door. Instead of heading straight for his room, he took the closest door to his right and flipped on the light. The bathroom was fairly small and pretty well kept. The walls had a grayish blue wallpaper and the floor was white tile that was starting to discolor after years of use. Right beside the door was a counter, sink, and mirror. The wall opposite of it had a towel rack with two blue towels messily hung up. Beside the counter was toilet and along the far wall was the bathtub.

Dib walked in and shut the door behind him. He set the kitten down on the closed toilet lid and begun to fill the tub with warm water. The kitten hopped off the toilet seat and ran towards the exit. It clawed at the door and reached it's short arms underneath, as if it was trying to somehow squeeze through the small crack.

After a moment, the water stopped running and it's ears and antennas perked up. The kitten turned to see Dib rolling up the sleeves of his jacket.

"Now how about we get you clean, hm?"

 **DootDoot hope this was an alright chapter!**


End file.
